Fantasy Football Preview – Game week 4
After what seemed like an eternity, the Premier League is back. Let’s face it, we were all praying all fortnight that none of the players in our fantasy teams get injured on international duty . The bad news is some of those prayers have not been answered. We will finally get a look at some of the deadline day buys and see who represents value from a fantasy football point of view.
Let’s get down to the matches in focus this week then.
Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace – The first match of the weekend provides a straight-forward fixture for Man United against new boys Crystal Palace. The result at Anfield is a distant memory as new boy Marouane Fellaini will be raring to go. Whether he starts or will be on the bench is still unclear. A United defender and lethal front-man Robin van Persie, who scored a hat-trick in the international break, should do the trick.
Nani is finally fully fit and with him doing well in a substitute role against Liverpool, one would think he should start at home.
Smalling could get his first start of the season as right-back with Jones and Rafael out.
Picks: Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic
Misses: None
Sunderland vs. Arsenal - Sunderland will be reeling from their away defeat against Crystal Palace, and could provide easy fodder for an Arsenal side buoyed by the record-breaking signing of German star Mesut Ozil.
While it is easy to get carried away with the aumlat and get Ozil in straightaway, there was news of him missing training due to illness and he has a 75% chance of playing this weekend. There’s a risk you might as well not take. You wouldn’t go wrong with having Giroud and Walcott in the side, especially with the absence of Sunderland captain John O’Shea.
Picks: Olivier Giroud
Misses: Mesut Ozil
Tottenham vs. Norwich - For all their signings, Tottenham are yet to score a goal from open play in over 270 minutes of football. It’s still worth keeping faith and retaining Soldado, and maybe getting one of Erik Lamela or Christian Eriksen in. White Hart Lane will be buzzing and AVB’s men will have to deliver. Expect them to go all guns blazing.
Vertonghen always poses a goal threat, and he’d be a good long term buy.
Picks: Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela.
Everton vs. Chelsea - This makes for an interesting match-up between the blues of Merseyside and the Blues of London. Chelsea are unbeaten in their campaign so far, and much of it has been because of the sound defence that Mourinho has shaped. Hazard, Lampard and Oscar look sure shot starters, with Mata still seemingly not in Mourinho’s first-team plans.
Everton will miss the presence of Fellaini, but Leighton Baines and Ross Berkeley still pose a threat. Ivanovic is a good long term defensive option, who poses a goal threat as well as a first team guarantee.
Picks: Oscar, Eden Hazard
Team: Simon Mignolet; Sascha Riether, Nemanja Vidic, Jan Vertonghen; Robby Brady, Eden Hazard, Erik Lamela, Yaya Toure; Robin Van Persie, Roberto Soldado, Olivier Giroud
Substitutes: Artur Boruc, Chris Smalling, Ross Barkeley, Sessegnon